Biography

NoteCARDS:

The Cardinals third-round selection (86th overall) in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Northern Iowa, Johnson has played in all 32 games (21 starts) during his first two NFL seasons. He started all 16 games last season, becoming the first Cardinals RB to start 16 games in a season since Edgerrin James in 2007.

Earned first-team All-Pro honors (AP, PFWA, Sporting News, Pro Football Focus) and was named to his first Pro Bowl after leading the NFL and establishing a new franchise single-season record with 2,118 scrimmage yards (1,239 rushing; 879 receiving) in 2016. Also led the NFL and set a franchise record with 20 TDs in 2016, including a franchise record 16 rushing TDs. Named the team MVP by the local PFWA chapter last season.

In 21 career starts dating back to Week 13 of the 2015 season, he leads the NFL in scrimmage yards (2,776), rushing yards (1,681) and TDs (25).

Became one of just four players in NFL history with at least 1,200+ rushing yards and 800+ receiving yards in a season and just the seventh player since the 1970 merger to lead the NFL in both scrimmage yards and TDs in a season.

In 2016, Johnson became the first player in NFL history to post 100+ scrimmage yards in each of the first 15 games of a season. His 15 games with 100+ scrimmage yards tied Barry Sanders (1997) for the most in NFL history in a single season.

Has 33 TDs in his first 32 career games. Only three players in NFL history had more TDs in their first two seasons and only six players in league history had more TDs in their first 32 career games. In addition to setting a franchise record for TDs (20) in 2016, he also set a franchise rookie record with 13 TDs in 2015.

His 11 multi-TD performances are tied for the most in NFL history in a player’s first two seasons. His eight multi-TD performances in 2016 tied for third-most in NFL history in a single season.

Is the only player in Cardinals history with 100+ rushing yards and three or more rushing TDs in a games multiple times in their career. Became the first player since Adrian Peterson (two such games as a rookie in 2007) to accomplish the feat in their first two NFL seasons.

Led all NFL running backs in receptions (80) and receiving yards (879) in 2016.

NoteCARDS:

The Cardinals third-round selection (86th overall) in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Northern Iowa, Johnson has played in all 32 games (21 starts) during his first two NFL seasons. He started all 16 games last season, becoming the first Cardinals RB to start 16 games in a season since Edgerrin James in 2007.

Earned first-team All-Pro honors (AP, PFWA, Sporting News, Pro Football Focus) and was named to his first Pro Bowl after leading the NFL and establishing a new franchise single-season record with 2,118 scrimmage yards (1,239 rushing; 879 receiving) in 2016. Also led the NFL and set a franchise record with 20 TDs in 2016, including a franchise record 16 rushing TDs. Named the team MVP by the local PFWA chapter last season.

In 21 career starts dating back to Week 13 of the 2015 season, he leads the NFL in scrimmage yards (2,776), rushing yards (1,681) and TDs (25).

Became one of just four players in NFL history with at least 1,200+ rushing yards and 800+ receiving yards in a season and just the seventh player since the 1970 merger to lead the NFL in both scrimmage yards and TDs in a season.

In 2016, Johnson became the first player in NFL history to post 100+ scrimmage yards in each of the first 15 games of a season. His 15 games with 100+ scrimmage yards tied Barry Sanders (1997) for the most in NFL history in a single season.

Has 33 TDs in his first 32 career games. Only three players in NFL history had more TDs in their first two seasons and only six players in league history had more TDs in their first 32 career games. In addition to setting a franchise record for TDs (20) in 2016, he also set a franchise rookie record with 13 TDs in 2015.

His 11 multi-TD performances are tied for the most in NFL history in a player’s first two seasons. His eight multi-TD performances in 2016 tied for third-most in NFL history in a single season.

Is the only player in Cardinals history with 100+ rushing yards and three or more rushing TDs in a games multiple times in their career. Became the first player since Adrian Peterson (two such games as a rookie in 2007) to accomplish the feat in their first two NFL seasons.

Led all NFL running backs in receptions (80) and receiving yards (879) in 2016.

His 1,239 rushing yards in 2016 is the fifth-best single-season total in franchise history.

Has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week twice (Weeks 5 & 13 in 2016); NFC Special Teams Player of the Week once (Week 2 in 2015); NFC Offensive Player of the Month once (October of 2016); NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month once (Dec./Jan. of 2015).

He became the first Cardinals running back selected to the Pro Bowl since Johnny Johnson in 1990. Also became the first Northern Iowa player selected to the Pro Bowl since former Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner in 2008 and just the third Pro Bowler ever from that school (LB Bryce Paup).

Is the only player in NFL history with a rushing TD, receiving TD and kickoff return TD in his first two career games. Johnson had a 55-yard TD reception in Week 1 win vs. New Orleans and then recorded a 108-yard kickoff return TD and a 13-yard TD run at Chicago in Week 2.His 108-yard return on the game’s opening kickoff in Chicago marked the longest TD in franchise history and is tied for the second-longest play in NFL history.

Just the second Northern Iowa player ever selected by the Cardinals, joining T Brandon Keith, who was taken in the seventh round (225th overall) in 2008.

While at UNI, Johnson earned his way on the Dean’s List twice for having a GPA of 3.5 or above and was a 3.0 honoree for multiple semesters. Johnson worked full-time jobs all four summers while in school. He worked on a crew removing asbestos his first summer and he worked 5:30 AM to 2:00 PM every day over the final three summers as a maintenance man in the school dorms.

Pro Career: The Cardinals third-round selection (86th overall) in the 2015 NFL Draft, Johnson has appeared in all 32 games (and two postseason contests) in his first two seasons, including starting all 16 games in 2016.

2016: Submitted perhaps the best season by a RB in franchise history, starting all 16 games and running for 1,239 yards and 16 TDs on 293 carries while adding 80 receptions for 879 yards and four TDs … earned first career Pro Bowl honor, becoming the first Cardinals RB selected to the Pro Bowl since Johnny Johnson (1990) and just the sixth since the 1970 merger … was a first-team AP All-Pro selection, earned PFWA All-NFL honors and was a finalist for the FedEx Ground Player of the Year … led the NFL with a franchise-record 2,118 scrimmage yards, becoming just the second Cardinal to lead the league in yards (John David Crow, 1960) … had an NFL-best 20 TDs and ranked second in the league with 16 rushing TDs (both new franchise records) … tied the NFL record with 15 consecutive games with 100+ yards from scrimmage in a single season (Barry Sanders, 1997) and became the first player to open the season with 15 straight 100-yard games … also led all NFL RBs in both receptions and receiving yards … named NFC Offensive Player of the Week twice (Weeks 5 and 13) and was October’s NFC Offensive Player of the Month … posted team-leading 98 yards on three receptions, including a career-long 58-yard catch in the third quarter vs. TB (9/18); also rushed for 45 yards on 12 carries; became first Cardinal with 130+ total yards in each of the first two games of a season since Ottis Anderson in 1979 … rushed for a season-high 157 yards and two TDs on 27 carries and had three catches for 28 yards @ SF (10/6); named NFC Offensive Player of the Week, making him third player in team history to win Player of the Week in two different categories (won Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 2, 2015) and the first Cardinals RB to win Offensive Player of the Week since LeShon Johnson in 1996 … ran for 111 yards and a career-high-tying three TDs on 22 carries vs. NYJ (10/17); added three catches for 27 yards; gave him 21 TDs in just 22 career games, setting a franchise record for the most by a player in his first two seasons; became first player in team history with multiple games of 100+ rushing yards and three or more rushing TDs in their career … ran for 113 yards on a career-high 33 carries vs. Sea (10/23); also had eight receptions for 58 yards; marked fourth career 100-yard rushing game and third straight, becoming the fourth player in team history with three consecutive 100-yard games; reached 1,004 scrimmage yards on the season, the most in franchise history through the first seven games of a season … named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October after finishing the month with an NFL-leading 726 yards from scrimmage and tying for the league lead with five rushing TDs … scored both of team’s TDs vs. SF (11/13) with a three-yard reception in the first quarter and an 18-yard run in the second; totaled 55 yards on 19 carries and added five catches for 46 yards; marked first career game with both a rushing and receiving TD and was his seventh game with multiple TDs; became first player in franchise history to record 10+ TDs in each of his first two seasons and is just the fourth player in team history to have 10 or more TDs in consecutive seasons … recorded first career 100-yard receiving game with eight catches for 103 yards and a TD @ Atl (11/27); also ran for 58 yards on 13 carries; became first player in franchise history to score 13+ TDs in multiple seasons and the 10th in NFL history to have 13 or more TDs in each of their first two years in the league … ran for 84 yards and a TD on 18 carries while adding a career-best nine receptions for 91 yards and a TD vs. Was (12/4); reached 1,000 rushing yards on the season, the 15th 1,000-yard season by a Cardinal and first since Beanie Wells (1,047) in 2011; named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time on the season … rushed for 80 yards on 20 attempts and had five catches for 41 yards @ Mia (12/11); tied Edgerrin James (Colts, 2005) for the most consecutive games to open a season with 100+ yards from scrimmage in NFL history … became first player in NFL with 100+ yards from scrimmage in each of the first 14 games of a season vs. NO (12/18), totaling 53 yards and two TDs on 12 rushing attempts and adding four receptions for 55 yards; also broke franchise record for scrimmage yards in a season previously held by Ottis Anderson (1,913 in 1979) and tied the franchise record for TDs in a season with 17 (John David Crow, 1962); gave him 30 TDs in first 30 career games … tied career high with three rushing TDs and totaled 95 yards on 28 carries @ Sea (12/24); also had four catches for 41 yards, including a 29-yarder to help set up game-winning FG; marked 15th straight game with 100+ yards from scrimmage, joining Barry Sanders (1997) as the only players in NFL history to have 100+ scrimmage yards in at least 15 straight games in a season; became first player in franchise history to surpass 2,000 yards from scrimmage in a season; set new franchise records with 20 total TDs and 16 rushing TDs; marked his 11th career multi-TD game and eighth of the year, the most in a single season in franchise history; was third career game with three TDs, trailing only Sonny Randle (6) for the most games in franchise history with three or more TDs … caught three passes for 38 yards and ran for six yards on five carries before leaving the game in the first quarter with a knee injury @ LAR (1/1/17).

2015: Played in every game, starting the last five games of the regular season and both playoff contests … led the team and set a franchise rookie record with 13 total TDs (eight rushing, four receiving and one kick return); 13 TDs led all rookies in the NFL in 2015 and tied for the fifth-best season total in franchise history… helped the Cardinals finish with the #1 offense in the NFL for the first time in team history and set franchise record for points (489) and TDs (59) … finished with 581 yards on 125 carries and added 36 receptions for 457 yards … also led the team with 598 yards on 22 kick returns to give him 1,636 all-purpose yards … named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for Dec/Jan after leading the NFL with 658 yards from scrimmage; became sixth player in team history and third on offense to be named Rookie of the Month … ran for 95 yards and a TD and caught a team-high 15 passes for 111 yards in two playoff games … had a 55-yard TD catch-and-run with 1:33 left in the game on his only offensive touch vs. NO (9/13); score gave the Cardinals a 31-19 lead; became first Cardinals rookie RB in the Super Bowl era with a TD catch in first career game and was the longest TD catch by a Cardinals rookie in Week 1 since Anquan Boldin had a 71-yard TD in 2003 against Detroit; also had a 43-yard kickoff return to total 98 net yards on just two touches … returned opening kickoff of the game 108 yards for a TD and also ran for 42 yards and a TD on five carries @ Chi (9/20); became first player in NFL history with a rushing TD, receiving TD and kickoff return TD in his first two career games; 108-yard kick return was the longest TD in franchise history; marked eighth game-opening kickoff return TD in team history and the first since 2010; became first Cardinals player with a KO return TD and a rushing TD in the same game since Ollie Matson did so on 12/13/58; named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, becoming the eighth rookie in team history to be named Player of the Week … scored two rushing TDs on just three carries @ Det (10/11); gave him six TDs in first five career games, tying a franchise record held by Ollie Matson (1952) and Bob Shaw (1950) … scored his seventh TD with a 16-yard catch in the third quarter vs. Cin (11/22); added 82 yards on three kickoff returns ... had eight carries for 21 yards and a one-yard TD in the third quarter @ SF (11/29); also caught two passes for eight yards and had one special teams tackle … made first career start and ran for 99 yards on 22 carries while adding two catches for 21 yards and a TD @ StL (12/6); 10-yard TD catch in the third quarter was his ninth TD of the season; joined Gale Sayers as the only rookies in NFL history with 4+ rush TDs, 4+ receiving TDs and a kick return TD in a season … rushed for 92 yards on 19 carries while posting a season-high five receptions for 31 yards vs. Min (12/10) … ran for 187 yards and three TDs on 29 carries while catching four passes for 42 yards @ Phi (12/20); had a career-long 47-yard scoring run in the second quarter; set franchise rookie record for total TDs in a season; became first player in team history to rush for 180+ yards and three TDs in a game; 187 rushing yards ranks as the fifth-best single-game total in franchise history and his 229 yards from scrimmage were the fourth-most in team history and the most by a rookie; joined Jim Brown as the only players in NFL history to rush for 185+ yards and three TDs against the Eagles; his 187 yards were the most by a rookie against Philly since Tony Dorsett (206) in 1977; was the first Cardinal with three rushing TDs in a game since Beanie Wells had three on 12/16/12 vs. Detroit; named FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week … caught three passes for 88 yards and rushed nine times for 39 yards, including a 14-yard TD in the third quarter vs. GB (12/27); marked his 13th overall TD of the season, tied for the fifth-best single-season total in franchise history … had six catches for 43 yards and ran for 35 yards on 15 carries in Divisional Playoff vs. GB (1/16/16) … rushed for 60 yards and a TD on 15 carries while adding a team-high nine receptions for 68 yards in NFC Championship Game @ Car (1/24/16).

College: Appeared in 49 games (36 starts) during his record-breaking college career, rushing for 4,687 yards and 49 TDs on 866 attempts while adding 141 receptions for 1,734 yards and 14 TDs … led the team in rushing each of his final three seasons as he posted three consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns. … saw action in all 14 games as a senior in 2014, leading UNI to its 17th FCS playoff appearance … broke 15 school records during the season while earning his second straight All-Missouri Valley Football Conference first-team selection … named to the AP and Sports Network FCS All-American teams … named the College Football Performance Awards All-Purpose Performer of the Year … totaled 1,553 rushing yards and 536 receiving yards with 438 yards and a TD on 12 kickoff returns … his 36.5 yards per return average established a school single-season record … finished the season ranked third nationally and first in the conference in all-purpose yards … earned All-MVFC Scholar-Athlete honors … started 10 of the 11 games he appeared in as a junior and led the team in rushing with 1,286 yards on 222 carries … earned first team All-MVFC honors … finished third on the team in receiving yards with 393 and led the team in all-purpose yards with 1,679 … ended the season ranked 11th in all-purpose yards in the FCS and 10th in rushing yards per game (116.9) … rushed for 100+ yards seven times during the season … saw action in all 11 games with seven starts as a sophomore … named to the All-MVFC second team … led the team in scoring with 108 points on 18 TDs … finished the season with five multi-TD games and 1,021 rushing yards and 13 rushing TDs … led the conference in scoring and was tied for fifth in the FCS in scoring with 9.82 points per game … saw action in 13 games with five starts in 2011... finished fourth in voting for the Jerry Rice Award (awarded to the nation’s top FCS freshman) and was the runner-up for MVFC Freshman of the Year ... named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team ... carried 179 times for 822 yards (4.6 avg.) and nine TDs on the season ... caught 33 passes for 422 yards (12.8 avg.) and three TDs ... tallied 1,244 all-purpose yards on the year … redshirted in 2010.

Personal: Attended Clinton (IA) High School where he earned first-team Class 4A All-State honors from the Des Moines Register and Iowa Newspaper Association as a senior in 2009 after he led Clinton to an 11-1 record ... accounted for a school record 42 TDs as a senior ... Clinton HS all-time leader in career receptions, career receiving yards, career and single-season total offense and the single game record for TDs (6) ... 2010 Shrine Bowl All-Star game invitee ... two-time Drake and state qualifier in track ... second-place finish in 4x200 and 4x400 relays at the Drake Relays ... second-team all-conference in basketball as a junior ... maintained over a 3.0 GPA throughout high school … is one of six kids, and is a triplet with sisters Darnecia and Danielle … married his wife, Meghan, in April of 2015 and the couple have a son, David Jr. … Physical Education major.